Process engineering at Intel

Here is a great video showing a glimpse of what is happening in the life of a process engineer working at Intel.

3D printed Globe

One of the benefits of rapid prototyping is the ability to virtually print everything. Here is a 3D printed globe made from a 3D printer

Here is a short video showing how a similar model was printed.

How to edit an STL file

STL files are quite popular these days, and one can really use them as he/she likes. To Edit an STL file, you first need an editor which you can download online for free.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to edit STL files with FreeCAD

Related post: Prototyping and it benefits

Rendering in AutoCAD

Rendering is an important part of 3D designing. Most time, it is needed to render for the client to have a clearer vision of what the actual object would like if 3D-printed.

Related post: http://www.htpd.de/single-post/2017/03/23/Rapid-prototyping-and-its-benefits-in-engineering

Though I do not like rendering in AutoCAD that much, here is a smooth tutorial that will help you have a glimpse at what rendering is in AutoCAD. 

Free 3D printer files

Today, Designing a 3D model has been made so simple that anyone can, with the minimum time possible create a custom 3D model. Here is how it works; There are a bunch of free 3D model free to download on the internet these days and those model can be download in a min and customized to fit your need thanks to the number of free STL editor you can find on the internet today.

Here are few places where you can find free 3D printer files:

https://www.thingiverse.com
https://pinshape.com/
https://www.myminifactory.com

Related post: Rapid Prototyping Benefits

3D printing and Fidget spinners

The Advantages of rapid prototyping are numerous though I would only like to point out the latest trend on the market that is fidget spinners.

Fidget spinners are all over the place these days, and from a personal experience, I can say that it helps kids calm down a bunch and most importantly help them stay away from phones.

With the help of 3D printing, everyone can invent its own version of the device.

Engineering consulting

To consult roughly means to seek information or advice from, If I were talking about consulting in engineering, the first thing that comes to mind would be: an entity involved in the process of working with contractors or being a contractor oneself.

Prototyping And Engineering

Having the ability to turn a project into a prototype is an advantage that will forever be present to the manufacturing world thanks to 3D printing and other techniques of rapid prototyping.

A company can help itself using engineering consulting, by seeking consultation while working on a side project.

A fingertip grip mouse

A fingertip grip mouse is one of the most wanted computer mice when it comes to gaming, as well as the claw grip type of mouse.

A palm mouse is the less wanted one.

What type of mouse grip is the CADmouse.

What make the CADmouse different

Here are the features that make that CADmouse different from other mice

Thumb buttons

The CAD mouse has two thumb buttons for fast zoom in and out. When you do not feel like infinitely rolling the wheel, this is the best way to go.

Middle dedicated button

Panning is important while designing in CAD. This is usually done by clicking on the scroll wheel and holding which is sometimes hard to do depending on the computer mouse you are using. But with the CAD mouse, you have a button dedicated for panning. And this button is located behind the wheel. A good way to go.

Why I like the Logitech M705 as compared to the CADmouse

I lately had the occasion to work with both the CADmouse and the Logitech M705 to design using AutoCAD.

I liked the M705 which I now work with more than the CADmouse for the simple reason that the M705 is wireless and the CADmouse is not and they both almost had the same features and number of buttons at the only difference that the CADmouse has the dedicated middle button and the M705 does not.

The M705 is my best drafting mouse.

A mouse with many buttons

How can a mouse with multiple buttons be useful to you when working on AutoCAD?

A mouse with multiple buttons can actually be useful when working in CAD. The extra buttons can help you access command easily in the sense that you can customize them to activate the most used of you commands.

For example, a click on a mouse can be set to activate the LINE command for example, giving me the possibility to activate the later with my mouse.

On the 3D connexion CADmouse there are 3 extra buttons, one behind the wheel and 2 on the right side of the mouse.

There are mice with more than 20 buttons, but the more buttons there are the more confusing it becomes.

Primary requirement of a CAD mouse

The least a computer mouse for CAD can have is

• scroll wheel
• left click
• right click

If you are a newbie wanting to get serious with Computer Aided Design, one of the first thing you should know is, you will not be able to use any CAD software without a computer mouse. 

I say that because, a couple of months ago, I have a friend who was trying to learn the basics in AutoCAD and he showed up at my door with a laptop thinking the track-pad was enough to start designing in AutoCAD.

My Logitech M750

I have been using the Logitech M750 for about 3 months now. I previously was using a simple 3 button Microsoft mouse.

Little did I know upgrading to the Logitech M750 as a computer mouse for CAD work was going to make my life a lot more enjoyable.

Shell in Creo

This is just a simple demo of what the SHELL command does in Creo.

I have previously designed a box, Fillet(ed) and chamfer(ed) it to look like the following.

Now, let's randomly use the SHELL command to see what we can make the final design to look like.

And here we go!

We could have ended with something else.

Related article: CAD mouse explained

A mouse dedicated to CAD work

If you are a first time CAD drafter looking for a mouse for CAD, the one single thing you would want to know is that you need at least a 3-button-mouse.

The scroll wheel is an important part of the mouse while using a CAD software.

Here is a video presenting the supplement option to CAD mice that are 3D mice.

There are other options, like the CADmouse or the 3D spacenavigator.

CNC and fast prototyping

When it comes to prototypes, electronic parts are way more often the major player that decide it the project functions or not. I have lastly emphasized on 3D printing, totally disregarding that most prototype nowaday will have some sort of electronic circuitry attached to it.

CNC machine can help design electronic circuitries fast and thus has to be taken into consideration while thinking about rapid prototyping.

CNC at its best.

What if we could 3D print an electronic component from the same 3D printer at a time?

Imagine a little quadcopter and imagine the ability to create it, all its electronic parts and plastic parts included with a single 3D printing machine? wouldn't that be revolutionary?

While this is still under development, I suspect when it is finally ready to be used, it will disrupt the way we think about circuit design. 

This will benefit prototyping and demo project. You can actually in less time, design and print a functional part all from the same machine and actually test its functionalities in no time flat.

The time when the short of new creation will be nothing but the short of ideas is on the verge.

Build stuff with 3D printing pens

I was a bit skeptical about the ability of 3D printing pen to actually play a vital role in our existence and I just stumble upon a video that demonstrated how cool using these devices can be but still, in term of necessity, it has none apart from creating and using your imagination to design virtually useless things. It has its own specificity though since you can put it in the category of art.

The video shows how you can use basic patterns to design great object using a 3D printed pen and this technique looks more proficient compared to using the freehand hand technique so to say.

Those will be nice for an art class where students can learn to put their ideas to life using this basic prototyping method.

3D pen can only work for Art

I have been watching this 3D printing pen revolution with a bit of skepticism, Do those solve a problem, or can we just say, we made for fun.

With no doubt, 3D pen can help come out with a lot of fun project, and I have even been thinking about putting this in the hands of my daughter to see if it will spark the desire to create in her, (hope she will not get quickly bored from this when it happens) but I am still full time struggling to find a good use of this.

I have recently read that you could use 3D printing pen to correct some minor flaws after 3D printing an object but I do not know how much true that statement is.

Though I can right see what this can bring in term of art creating, I still struggle to find what it will add to our daily routine.

I am not sure if it is advisable to put this in the hand of a teen.

3D printed gun

As you might have noticed, 3D printed gun has become the new sensation as 3D printing puts in the hand of anybody the ability to design, manufacture and own a gun.

3D printing will soon make the production of a gun a lot more cheap and sophisticated. Now we need to be able to tackle this. Anyone can own a gun without having to purchase one.

3D printing is bringing manufacturing to the individual level and the community level, and the possibilities are infinite. It is a global phenomenon.

Technology is generally a double edge sword and it does not fail us with 3D printing. It is often hard to see the downsides right at-bat, but surely those will be revealed when the technology is put in the hand of users.

The greenest car in the world

Simple technology can solve huge problems when putting in the hands of many. This is the best I found to describe this.

Urbee is the greenest car in the world thanks to 3D printing and prototyping.

Smaller and smarter, Urbee is an all 3D printed car. When the journey is still on, this car can go as fast as 110 km per hour. 

Let's bargain with the future.

The future of us comes from sci-fi movies

Believe it or not, I once believed we were living in a deterministic world where the future was already set and we just had to act it out. I know this is so nonsensical.

While growing, I came to realize that, movies and dreams (day dreams included) are really the things that orient the future.

I lately was reading the book "The question of GOD" and Freud was arguing that true knowledge comes from science while Lewis was arguing that true knowledge can also come from revelation which Freud did not consider as a source of sound knowledge. (if I remember it right). That made me think, where do dream come from?

Where do great dream come from? I am talking about dreams that shape us. All movies come from some sort of dream after all, but technology is tapping into that knowledge base to come out with cool projects that not only eases our life but shape us.

Game design and movie production are shaping the future, I quite do not understand where those come from, but one thing is sure, it has helped and it is helping us evolve as a species.

3D printing and prototyping inspired future.

3D printing at large scale

3D printing at large scale can be way more expensive than mass manufacturing but 3D printing primary need was not to help mass manufacturing.

On the opposite hand, 3D printing has made fast prototyping more affordable thus making the production of prosthetic a lot cheaper that it has been so far.

Imagine, 3D scanning helping to scan the arm and produce a 3D model of the arm and all this helping to manufacture a 3D printed arm in few hours. All these are nowaday possible thanks to technology and sciences.

Prototyping has become more affordable. We are on the path to becoming superhuman. 

We design the future and the future designs us back.

What does robotic coupled with 3D printing result to?

Someone once said, 1 + 1 = 3.

I remember seeing a 3D printer for the first time and wondering if there were a real need for such a machine, fast forward today, and I can't believe what is coming out of this great technology.

Jordan Peterson said when Henry Ford designed the automobile he thought he was designing a tool to help humans move from point A to point B but it turned out that the automobile has been a great tool to pollute our atmosphere while it has been performing well in the area it was created for.

While hopping, we would not go down that path with 3D printing and robotic, the added value brought by the combination of these two disciplines has been mind boggling.

Without a doubt or need to make an argument, robotic arms are one of the things that will help amputee regain the feeling of control over their day to day activities.

I can't wait to see us tap into the full capacity of these technologies and actually be able to make all these available to the public.

I am so in love with Prosthetics limbs

There are many random facts about biology which we merely understand the reason of the cause and hopefully, science is going to help us one day understand them and possibly reverse them.

Among these random facts, I can name the number of children who are born every now and them without a hand. Luckily now we can use 3D printing to tackle these issue and provide a really cool replacement to the missing limb.

Here is what I call the advantages of rapid prototyping in action.

The future is an open-ended set of opportunity that a stable and thriving society can enable to tilt toward a better one.

Prosthetics and Rapid prototyping

With the latest tech, we can nowadays turn what was once a senseless process to something which we can hook the label "cool" to without actually being afraid of being misunderstood.

I was lately going through an ordinary youtube browse when I stumbled upon this video.

And it made me go back in the day where wearing a Prosthetics had nothing fun, the time when wearing one of this was a constant reminder that you needed special attention.

With Rapid prototyping, we have been exploring and building more futuristic and good looking Prosthetics for the physically challenged.

Prosthetics used to be a means to help the physically challenged to catch up with ordinary people but now with Rapid Prototyping and the advancement in technology, Prosthetic now only help them catch up but have abilities a biological limb does not have.

Those are the benefits of rapid prototyping.

The Future of renewable energy

The future of renewable energy

While we still have to harness the benefit of renewable energy, we at the same time need to think if any alternative can contribute to making the equation even more attractive to the energy industry.

Given the choice, people would be willing to pay more for renewable clean energy. One of the biggest challenge for the moment is the ability to transport energy from the point of production to the point of consumption.

Thermal Transfer Product Design

What is Thermal Transfer?

In layman's term, thermal transfer is simply the ability to take temperature from one point to another. To have this definition a little more explicit, I will say that thermal transfer is the action of evacuating a certain temperature or to hold it to attain a precise end.

An simple example of heat transfer happens every time you are cooking. When you put a the pot over the cooker, heat is transferred to the pot by conduction. At first, the pot is cold, then it gets heated as the heat get transferred to it continuously, up to the point where both have the same temperature.

What is thermal transfer used for in industry?

We count numerous examples where we could not do without thermal transfer as it is at the heart of many industrial processes.

Taking a car's engine for example, it is necessary that it get cooled as it works because if the temperature of the engine were simply left to cool naturally without any system in place, it will simply break.

That is the reason why in Automotive, heat transfer is a MUST, not only because of the engine since the whole interior of the cars and its mechanic need a certain temperature regulation while it functions.

A proper Heat Transfer Design not only enhance the efficiency of the engine but also extend its life expectancy.

A car has in itself many processes that actually require thermal transfer such as the exhaust system, the ventilation, the air conditioning system, the heat exchangers and the battery cooling system.

Thermal Transfer Product Design

At HTPD, we have an extensive experience in thermal transfer product Design which is one of the core competency of ours.

The ABC of designing using 123D Design

123D Design is a free CAD software by Autodesk commonly used for educational purposes and for 3D printing.

This piece of software in my opinion is one of the easiest CAD software to learn out there, with the minimum options but allowing you at the same time to use your creativity to come out with exceptional designs.

In this post, we will see what it looks like to decide to start using this CAD software from scratch.

First step

The first thing to do is to head to 123D Design official site to download a free copy of the software which you can install in your computer and start designing right after.

One thing to know is, unless you have a computer mouse with at least 3 buttons, you would not be able to use any CAD software properly. You can't just CAD design using a touch pad. Nevertheless, there are version of CAD software created for tablets.

Getting to know the software

Here is what the main window of the software looks like at a first glance. You have drop-down menu above the fold and some tools on the side of the main window.

Designing your first object

Let's design a square.

Step 1

Click on Sketch and select Polyline

Step 2

Draw a square with each side equal to 40 units

 Step 3

Move to a 3D view with a click on the down left corner of the 3D navigation box as shown on the image below.

The view should look something like the image below

Step 4

Click on the EXTRUDE icon, select the object we have just drawn, indicate the height of the extrusion but pulling on the arrow that will make itself visible after you activate the extrusion command and hit the ENTER key on your keyboard.

The height of the box does not matter. When it is done, the result should look something like the image below.

Step 5

Now, Let's round some edges using the Fillet command.

Activate the command, select the edges to adjust and use the arrow to indicate the radius by which they will be rounded. You can also indicate the radius by entering its value in the text area that will appear on the down side of the window.

Let's head to the following.
Where two of the radius are 10 and two are 5. You can easily figure out the combination.

Use the orbit icon to navigate in 3D

As basics as this is, I wish it somehow helped you have gauge a bit while designing in 3D using 123D Design looks like.

From heat transfer design